Down River: Stephen Gallagher: Amazon.com: Kindle Store: Johnny Mays has the moral conscience of a selfish child in the frame of a plain-clothes cop. The city is his playground, the rest of us his toys. He likes to find out where we work, and where we live, and what will scare us most. And Johnny never had a toy he didn't break.

But Johnny starts a car chase, and he pushes it too far. Soon they're fishing for his body at the foot of a dam, and his partner Nick Frazier has been left behind. They were friends, once, a long time ago. Nick had hoped that he might save Johnny. Johnny's last words still echo in Nick's mind: "I'm going to remember this," he said, a dark fire in his eyes. "I'm coming back for you." Then the killings start. Killings of people Johnny didn't like. And Johnny's car is dredged up, empty.

CNN.com: At some point in the next few months, a tendril of black tar-like substance will drop from a glass funnel and land in a beaker under a bell jar in what is thought to be the world's oldest scientific experiment.

NYTimes.com: Mike Gray, a writer and filmmaker who tackled thorny contemporary issues in his work, including race relations in Chicago, American drug policy and, most notably, the safety of nuclear power plants — the subject of the 1979 film “The China Syndrome,” for which he wrote the original screenplay — died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 77.Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Plight of the Living Dead: 10 Case Reports of Cotard’s Syndrome: Cotard’s Delusion is a mental disorder where people suffer the nihilistic delusion that they are dead or no longer exist. First reported in the 1700s, the disorder is still a largely a mystery today. The underlying cause isn’t understood; it’s been linked to bipolar disorder, depression and/or schizophrenia depending on the patient’s age. Here, ten people who went to their doctor and complained that they were dead.

As Brad Searles reminds us in his brief introduction to this volume, Henry Kuttner was one of the really big names in SF back in the 1940s. Now, not so much. One of the publications in which many of his works appeared was Startling Stories, and it's from this pulp that the three "novels" (well, that's whatthe editor of Startling called them) in this book are drawn. The three stores gathered here are "The Portal in the Picture," "The Valley of the Flame," and "The Dark World." All three were published earlier in single volumes by Ace Books, with the first one being retitled "Beyond Earth's Gate." It's possible, or even probable, that all three were written in collaboration with Kuttner's wife, C. L. Moore, as so many of the works credited to Kuttner alone were. All three are full of color and movement and action. (You can read my review of "The Dark World" here.) I like what Brad Searles says in his introduction: "Reading them today is a marvelous antidote to the verbose trilogies with which we're currently afflicted." If you have any interest in the Good Old Stuff, reasonably priced copies of this collection are easy to find.

Billboard: Just over two years after contracting a rare skin tissue disease, Slayer guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman died on Thursday from liver failure at Hemet Valley Medical Center, near his home in Southern California's Inland Empire area.

Minneapolis Star Tribune to Serialize Novel: The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota's largest newspaper, is taking a step into book publishing this summer by serializing a previously unpublished novel by a Twin Cities writer. On June 9, the Star Tribune will publish in its print edition and on its Web site the first installment of Giving Up the Ghost by Mary Logue. Logue has previously written about 30 books, including 11 adult mysteries and four poetry collections. She's also written children's picture books and YA novels.

Florida cop fired for eighth time: Over the years, he has faced allegations including "busting the skull" of a handcuffed suspect, beating juveniles, having drugs in a patrol car, falsifying reports, conducting an unauthorized car chase where four people were killed and “calling in sick…from Cancun.”

Dear Diary: Collectible Diaries from Che to Rudolph Valentino: Writing a diary is a very personal experience and yet they are a staple of the publishing world. Reading somebody else’s diary is supposed to be a heinous crime but bookshops are full of them. Despite this apparent conundrum, diaries from notable figures and ordinary people become highly collectible.

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

The Yard is set in London shortly after the Ripper murders have taken place. Walter Day is the new man on Scotland Yard's Murder Squad, and he's faced with a new serial killer, one who's killing cops. There's also someone killing me with beards and shaving them. The cops aren't the most interesting characters in the novel, however. The real star is Dr. Bernard Kingsley, who's single-handedly introducing all kinds of new forensic techniques to the Victorian era, including the study of fingerprints. There's nothing pretty about the London that Grecian presents. He gives plenty of the down-and-dirty, and there's an autopsy scene that will have you cringing. Well, maybe not you, but me. The book is obviously well researched, though I have my doubts of some of the dialogue. Sounds a bit contemporary to me.My only real complaint, however, is my usual one about books these days: It's too long. There's a lot going on, maybe too much, and some judicious cutting would have reduced the length and increased my enjoyment. You might not find it too long, however, and it's entertaining even at its current length. It was nominated for several "best first novel" awards. Check it out.

Amazon.com: Rogue Lawman: Heed the Thunder eBook: Peter Brandvold: Kindle Store: Gideon Hawk hunts the notorious depraved killer, Pima Miller, into the Superstition Mountains of Arizona Territory. Hawk inadvertently shot the killer’s Apache woman, orphaning the killer’s infant son. The killer himself doesn’t seem to mind. He leaves them both behind to save himself and head into the mountains with his beautiful young guide, Jodi Zimmerman, whom he’s kidnapped from the Superstition Stage Relay Station. Hawk, however, minds very much that his bullet meant for the killer, Miller, struck an innocent woman. He storms after Miller with his usual bloodlust. The Superstitions are no picnic, however. The Apaches consider the range their Thunder-God’s abode, and the Chiricahuas don’t care for interlopers. And neither does the strange old desert rat known as the Dutchman who will do everything he can to keep his secret stash of ancient Apache gold just that--a secret.
Lots of blood, thunder, and lightning in this one. Including an appearance by Hawk’s foxy trail partner as well as a not-so-festive powwow with Geronimo himself!

Job Interview No Time to Text: Human resource professionals say they've seen recent college grads text or take calls in interviews, dress inappropriately, use slang or overly casual language, and exhibit other oddball behavior.

The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor: On this date in 1840, the first official adhesive postage stamp was issued in Great Britain. Up until the late 1830s, the recipient of the letter was supposed to pay upon delivery. Rates were inconsistent: postage was calculated based on number of sheets of paper, and the distance from sender to recipient. The rules were complicated and postage was expensive, and people often refused to pay, costing the government a lot of money. A schoolmaster named Rowland Hill developed a new system that established uniform postal rates based on weight. The sender would pay with stamps that cost a penny each. The design of the first stamp was an engraved profile of Queen Victoria on a black background, called the Penny Black. Since Britain was the first country to use prepaid postage stamps, they have never printed the name of their country on their stamps, just a portrait of the reigning monarch.

May Day: May 1st, often called May Day, just might have more holidays than any other day of the year. It's a celebration of Spring. It's a day of political protests. It's a neopagan festival, a saint's feast day, and a day for organized labor. In many countries, it is a national holiday.

BBC News: Deanna Durbin, one of Hollywood's biggest box-office stars in the 1930s and early '40s, has died aged 91. Her son, Peter H David, made the announcement in a newsletter to her fans, saying she died "a few days ago". In 1947 she was the highest-paid star in the United States. But she retired from the business the following year when she was just 27.

I just read on the fictionmags list that andy offutt has died. I have a number of his books, and I have the If magazine with his first story, a contest winner, in it.Andrew J. Offutt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Andrew Jefferson Offutt (August 16, 1934-April 30, 2013) was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written as Andrew J. Offutt, A. J. Offutt, and Andy Offutt. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, has all his name in lower-case letters.The brief SF Site obituary is here.

Black Pulp: “Drums of the Ogbanje”: “Drums of the Ogbanje” by Mel Odom is a zombie pirate adventure from the anthology Black Pulp, edited by Tommy Hancock, Gary Phillips, and Morgan Minor (available May 6, 2013)

Poe (An Alexandra Poe Thriller): Brett Battles, Robert Gregory Browne: Amazon.com: Kindle Store: From Award-Winning Thriller Writers Brett Battles and Robert Gregory Browne After losing her mother to a terrorist attack, Alexandra Poe was devastated when her father--disgraced and accused of treason--disappeared from the face of the earth. Now, over ten years and a stint in Iraq later, Alex is approached by a man who has information about her father and wants to help her find him. But there's a catch. The man works for Stonewell International, a security firm that specializes in fugitive acquisition. And in return for their help, Alex must agree to run point on an extremely dicey mission. One that will take her behind the walls of a brutal and dangerous women's prison near the coast of the Black Sea. When Alex finally agrees, she has no idea what she's gotten herself into. She may find her father, but she could very well lose her life.

Any resemblance of this movie to H. Rider Haggard's novel or the 1950 movie of the same name is purely coincidental. Okay, that's not true. Some of the characters share names with characters from those sources. But that's about it. What we have here is a supposedly hilarious parody of the Indiana Jones movies, with Richard Chamberlain as Alan Quatermain standing in for Harrison Ford's Indy. If you watched the trailer embedded below, you might think, "Hey, that doesn't look too bad." Maybe it depends on the mood you're in when you see the whole movie, but for me it just didn't work. Some of the action scenes are okay, but the humor didn't work at all. The low budget didn't help, either. Sure, it was a Cannon film, and I should've known what I was getting into. I have no one to blame but myself. I know some people who like the movie. Maybe I'm being too harsh. After all, Sharon Stone's nice to look at, and Richard Chamberlin tries hard to crack his jokes with a straight face. John Rhys-Davies tries not to look as if he wishes he was working on the Indy franchise instead of being stuck here. Herbert Lom's okay. Watch it and see what you think. Maybe you'll love it.

Mail Online: World's oldest romantic novelist, who has worked under 10 different pseudonyms, is still writing racy bodice-rippers aged 105 Ida has sold millions of books over nine decades The 105-year-old has used ten different pseudonyms during her careerBest-selling book titles include White Heat and Interlude for LoveHer latest novel The Runaway is due to be published shortly No longer uses a typewriter, she dictates her novels to 69-year-old daughter

Amazon.com: West of the Big River: The Lawman eBook: James Reasoner, Western Fictioneers: Kindle Store: William M. "Bill" Tilghman had one of the most illustrious careers of any Old West lawman, serving as sheriff, town marshal, and deputy United States marshal in some of the toughest places west of the Mississippi. But he faced perhaps his greatest and most dangerous challenge when he rode alone into the wild Oklahoma Territory settlement of Burnt Creek on the trail of a gang of rustlers and outlaws with some unexpected allies . . . THE LAWMAN, by New York Times bestselling author James Reasoner, is the first novel in a new series from the Western Fictioneers, West of the Big River. These are brand-new, original short novels inspired by real-life characters and actual events from the exciting, colorful history of the American frontier, written by today's leading Western authors including Robert J. Randisi, Michael Newton, Jackson Lowry, Frank Roderus, Bill Crider, Matthew P. Mayo, James J. Griffin, and many others. Don't miss any of these action-packed short novels that showcase the best of the American West!

Barbara Allan is, as we all know, really two people: Max Allan Collins and Barbara Collins, who write together under this name. This volume in their "Trash and Treasure" series returns Brandy Borne and her mother (who's really her grandmother), Vivian, to the crime-fighting game by way of a reality TV show.Make that a planned TV show. When the producer comes to town to meet our only slightly goofy narrators (mostly Brandy, but Vivian gets two chapters this time, and even Brandy's son, Jake, gets to join in with some writing of his own), Vivian has the perfect setting picked out, an old house where there was an axe murder many years ago. I hope it's not a huge spoiler to tell you that the producer gets whacked with an axe in that very house, and of course that means that Vivian is hot on the trail of the killer with Brandy reluctantly following along. There are plenty of suspects, a red herring or two, and lots of laughs along the way.This is a cozy with an edge and with a dark clouds for a lot of the silver linings. I particularly enjoyed the way cops the dealt with the amateur sleuths after they solve the crime in this one. No, I'm not going to tell you what it is. You'll have to read the book. You'll have a great time, and you can thank me later.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Amazon.com: Clark Howard Collected Short Stories - 1960s eBook: Clark Howard: Kindle Store: Clark Howard has written 16 novels, and six books of non-fiction. However, Howard didn't start out as a novelist. He started out as a short story writer, and he remains a short story writer. He has won numerous awards for his stories, including the prestigious Edgar Alan Poe Award, five Ellery Queen Readers Award, the Derringer Award. His stories have also been nominated for the Anthony, Shamus and Spur Awards.
This book - Clark Howard Collected Stories - 1960s is the first of several planned volumes collecting the bulk of Clark Howard's mystery short stories. This first volume features more than 140,000 words of Clark Howard short stories - stories originally published during the 1960s.

NYTimes.com: But the pig wars are moving north. In Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania — states where not long ago the only pigs were of the “Charlotte’s Web” variety — state officials are scrambling to deal with an invasion of roaming behemoths that rototill fields, dig up lawns, decimate wetlands, kill livestock, spread diseases like pseudo-rabies and, occasionally, attack humans.Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.